Dave Heil wrote:
bb wrote:

Dave Heil wrote:

Dee Flint wrote:

"Dan/W4NTI" wrote in message
thlink.net...


[snip]



Why do I contest? To improve my score by improving my station and myself.

Its as simple as that.

Have a good day

PS; I worked a bunch of sporadic skip yesterday on six meters in the June
VHF contest.....with 8 watts and a 3 ele yagi at 20'.

It's all a matter of perspective.

Dan/W4NTI




I and the OM also worked some of the VHF contest and noticed a very strange
thing. Only 10% of the contacts that we made were Technician operators. On
the other hand, 80% of them were Extra class operators. So where are all
the Techs who are "trapped" in VHF and above because they "can't" pass the
code (as some would have us believe)?

Oh, they're still trapped on VHF, Dee. Most of 'em are so trapped that
they know only one mode--FM and do all of their operating via repeaters.

What a wunnerful attitude you have toward Techs, Oh Mighty DXer. And
people have to ask who chased away the Techs. I guess the only time
you would embrace a Tech is if he were calling you out of band on 6M.
Hi!

I don't embrace radio amateurs at all, "bb". A firm handshake is good
enough for me.

That's not what the French do. They kiss you on both cheeks,
especially for handing out contacts and QSL cards for out of band
contacts.

My attitude toward many of the current crop of new techs is one bathed
upon five years observation, since returning to the U.S. I haven't
chased them anywhere. In fact, it has been just the opposite. I've
tried to encourage them to use simplex on FM. I've tried to encourage
them to try 6 meters along with 432 and 144 MHz SSB and CW. I can't be
faulted that they don't act after being encouraged. If these folks are,
in fact "trapped" in a world of 2m only FM repeater operation, they have
fashioned the trap themselves by not being more curious about the rest
of VHF/UHF amateur radio. There are avenues open to them but they
aren't participating.

Dave K8MN

A penny for your thoughts.

Maybe they are on FM yet not trapped at all. Maybe if you let Dee and
Dan finish their thoughts on why they think the Techs are trapped we
would have something worth discussing.

My opinion (that means it's my opinion and I don't have to spend weeks
at the Library of Congress to back up anything that I might say or
forever be known as a liar and/or a gay man) is that those who joined
for emergency communications purposes are perfectly happy with FM, and
do not consider themselves as "trapped." All the "encouragement" in
the world doesn't change their perspective. They're getting what they
want out of amateur radio. What they don't need is to be denigrated by
the Extras that think they need to do more to be a "real" ham.